Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 27: A record number of Tibetan Buddhist nuns have excelled in the 2025 Geshema examinations, with 154 out of 161 candidates successfully passing and an extraordinary 96% pass rate, the highest since the degree was opened to women in 2012.
Held at Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute in Dharamshala from July 21 to August 16, the annual exams tested nuns on advanced Buddhist philosophy after years of intensive study. This year, 47 nuns completed their fourth and final year of examinations and will formally graduate as Geshemas in November, following the annual inter-nunnery debate in Bodh Gaya. Their graduation will bring the total number of Geshemas to 120.
The Geshema degree, regarded as equivalent to a doctorate (PhD) in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, represents the highest academic honour in the Gelug tradition. Once restricted to monks, the degree was formally opened to women in 2012, marking a landmark step toward gender equality in Tibetan monastic education.
This year’s examinations saw 48 nuns appearing for the first-year exams, of whom 44 passed; 33 nuns took the second-year exams, with 32 successfully passing; all 31 candidates in the third year achieved a perfect pass rate; and in the fourth and final year, 49 nuns sat for the exams, with 47 earning a passing grade.
The candidates gathered in late June for a month-long review before the exams began. Their travel, food, and examination expenses were supported by the Tibetan Nuns Project (TNP)’s Geshema Endowment Fund. “Educating women is powerful,” said TNP’s Founding Director and Special Advisor, Rinchen Khando Choegyal. “It’s about enabling the nuns to be teachers in their own right and to take on leadership roles at a critical time in our nation’s history.”
Since the first Geshema degrees were conferred in 2016, the number of graduates has grown steadily over the years. Twenty nuns earned the degree in 2016, followed by six in 2017, ten in 2018, and seven in 2019. The exams were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, but resumed in 2022 with ten graduates. In the following years, seven nuns graduated in 2023, thirteen in 2024, and a record forty-seven are set to graduate in 2025.
The success of the Geshema program owes much to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, patron of the Tibetan Nuns Project, who has long championed equal opportunities for women in Buddhist scholarship. “Biologically, there is no difference between the brains of men and women, and the Buddha clearly gave equal rights to both,” His Holiness said in 2013. Reaffirming this vision in 2018, he noted, “When I spoke about awarding Geshema degrees, some were doubtful. I clearly told them that the Buddha had given equal opportunity for both men and women.”
Rejoicing, with gratitude to His Holiness the Great XIV Dalai Lama, for His clear vision. He made the changes to the system to allow nuns their full potential in the Dharma, through higher studies.
Congratulations to all Geshe ma sisters. Education is the foundation that makes a life of meaningful service possible. May the Dharma and all mother beings receive unimaginable and inconceivable benefits.